If I had a nickel for every time I heard an ambitious woman - a future 7-figure STR portfolio owner in our tribe - say, "Stacey, I just don't have time," I’d have an overflowing piggy bank. And I’d still tell them the same thing: I don’t believe you. Financial time freedom is absolutely something you can have. I’m living proof of it. So, here’s some tough love, from me to you…
I remember my own corporate life, stuck in that relentless same-thing-every-day experience, feeling the crushing weight of "golden handcuffs" and constantly claiming I was too busy for the business I really wanted to build. That time-starved, frantic feeling? That wasn't a time problem; it was a deep-seated misalignment problem. I was trading hours for a paycheck, not building the financial time freedom I craved.
Here’s the tough love part, lady: Your lack of time is a symptom, not the disease. It’s a smokescreen for deeper resistance. It means you’re either stuck in your Comfort Zone or you’re operating from a broken philosophy. You need to stop waiting for time to magically appear and start creating it by stepping into the capable CEO identity you already possess.
What “I Don’t Have Time” Really Means for Your Business
When you say that phrase, you’re allowing your subconscious mind to trample the ambition of your conscious mind.
You are likely falling into one of these traps:
The Comfort Zone Trap
Your brain is wired for safety and efficiency. It loves familiar routines and ingrained habits. Anything new, like carving out an hour to build an automation system for your business, gets flagged as a risk. That is why the comfortable (but unfulfilling) job or endless busywork often wins out. Stepping outside of that comfort and into the Fear Zone is what leads to real growth.
The Misalignment Mess
Most hosts are constantly doing - cleaning, guest messaging, coordinating maintenance. They’re moving fast, but they aren't moving forward. If your daily actions don’t align with your desired outcomes (a thriving business!) you’ll never feel like you have enough time. You're busy; you're just busy doing the wrong things.
The goal isn't just to be busy; it’s to build a reliable, predictable operation that gives you financial time freedom.
Breaking the Scarcity Spell: The Choice is Yours
When you say, "I don't have time," you are speaking from a scarcity mindset. This narrative of "not enough" controls your reality. Time, like your potential for success, is actually an abundant resource when managed intentionally. The difference isn't the clock; it’s the choice.
We need to shift from saying, "I don’t have time,” to the much more honest statement: “It’s not a priority right now.” Are you really too busy, or are you prioritizing comfort over the scary, high-value actions that will achieve financial time freedom? For an outside perspective on overcoming this "time poverty," check out this article on embracing the abundance of time.
Boss² Up Your Schedule with the Commit–Be–Do Framework
The key to unlocking your time isn't to hustle harder; it's to apply the Commit–Be–Do (CBD) framework that I outline in my book, LIVE BIG. This framework is a triple-threat formula for transforming your dreams into reality by aligning your actions with your identity.
1. Commit: Define Your Vision and Outcomes
Your first step is crystal clear: define your Dream Seeds. Where do you want to be? This is not the time for vagueness, okay? This is time for specific, measurable outcomes. You deserve that! And specificity is way easier to plan for. Skip "grow my business" and aim for something measurable, like "increase profitability by $20,000 this year".
Commitment isn’t the same as trying. Trying keeps you in motion; commitment moves you into transformation. When you commit, you shift from “I’ll see if I can” to “I’m becoming the woman who makes this happen.” Once you make a commitment to your target outcome(s), you can start Boss²ing Up - making sure your Behaviors are focused on your Outcomes, using Strategy, Skills, and Systems to get there (B-O-S-S²).
2. Be: Step into the CEO Identity
This is where you stop waiting for the success to arrive before you act like a success. You must flip the script: Be the person who has the time freedom right now.
Be the leader who prioritizes high-value tasks
Be the investor who delegates work that isn’t in her genius zone
Be the business owner who implements systems because she values predictability over perfection
When you're being the person who is committed to her target outcome of time freedom (your Dream Seed), time seems to expand to meet you.
3. Do: Take Aligned, Intentional Action
This final step is the most actionable. It’s where you take the habits of the CEO you've committed to being and put them into practice today.
Your current tasks need to be audited and delegated. Delegate anything that's outside your genius zone, doesn't spark your passion, or isn't the best use of your brainpower. Use the "Delegate to Elevate" mindset.
Turn your strategic priorities into specific, action-forward steps that create a clear to-do list. This is how a seemingly daunting task becomes manageable.
Keep Your Momentum Going with the LIVE BIG 90-Day Momentum Maker
Your big dreams deserve daily action - and the LIVE BIG 90-Day Momentum Maker is here to help you make it happen. Designed to complement the lessons from LIVE BIG, this journal-planner hybrid is the exact tool I use to turn big dreams into daily wins. It will keep you laser-focused, inspired, and moving forward every single day.